


Surdulica

by Chryse73



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26536714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chryse73/pseuds/Chryse73
Summary: A trip to the Danube goes wrong as the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa arrive in the wrong century and get caught up in the atrocities of the Eastern Front, where demons come in many forms and a walk in the woods of Surdulica can cost you your life...
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Surdulica

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an annual Big Finish Short Trips competition but they didn't want it, so I hope you enjoy it instead...!
> 
> As a special bonus feature this is the slightly longer version before I edited it down to the 6,000 word limit ;)

**Surdulica**

The woods were eerily quiet, the nocturnal ambience of the wildlife broken only by the unnatural sound of boots trudging through the undergrowth, their rhythm punctuated by the harsh metallic clicks and rattles of rifles tightly gripped in nervous hands.

'Hey, Emil!' A scrawny, bearded man awkwardly nudged the captive next to him, his hands roughly bound together. 'Where do you think they're taking us?’

The older man shrugged wearily. 'Who knows? 'Sofia', they said - but you can't trust this Bulgarian scum.'

'Careful!' The scrawny man instinctively hunched his shoulders, fearful of retaliation. 'They'll hear you!'

Emil gave a derisory grunt, nodding towards the nearest soldier. 'Look at them, Kosta! The whole Serbian army could be charging around the corner, and they wouldn't hear a thing!'

Kosta peered through the darkness at the enemy soldiers around them, his eyes widening in surprise as he noted that each had their ears tightly wrapped in an odd assortment of scarves, padding and bandages. Sweat poured down the Bulgarians' faces, and they appeared nervous, periodically glancing through the trees into the impenetrable darkness as they herded their small group of captives onwards. Kosta turned back to his comrade, a confused expression on his dirt-streaked face.

'Why would they do that?'

'Don't ask me. After everything I've seen on the Eastern Front, nothing makes sense anymore in this blasted war. Thank God it'll all be over soon.'

'Why?' Kosta asked earnestly, 'What do you know? Have the Allies taken Sofia?'

Emil laughed, but the humour didn't reach his tired, bloodshot eyes. 'You're a fool, Kosta. We're not going to Sofia. This is Surdulica, and no-one ever comes back from the forest. Time to make your peace with God, my friend... this is the end.'

Before Kosta could answer, the Bulgarian commander leading the troops silently held his fist aloft, causing the party to come to an abrupt halt. They had reached a large clearing, empty but for the scant moonlight trying to break through the clouds above. Kosta felt the blow of a rifle butt to his back, and he dropped to his knees next to Emil and the rest of the captives. The commander peered into the clearing, then turned to his men, holding three fingers aloft.

_'Tre!'_

'Goodbye, my friend,' muttered Emil, bitterly. 'See you on the other side.'

_'Dve!'_

Kosta closed his eyes tightly, gripping his bound hands before him in silent prayer.

_'Edno!'_

Holding his last breath with gritted teeth, Kosta waited for the sound of the rifle fire that would signal his end. 

It never came.

What came instead was a faint, unearthly noise... the incongruous sound of far-off singing, sweet and ethereal. The Serbian captives tentatively opened their eyes, and looked around to find that they were completely alone.

'They've gone!' Kosta laughed in astonishment, whilst struggling to his feet. 'Run off, into the woods! COWARDS!' he shouted through the trees.

'Kosta.' 

Emil's hushed voice seemed strained. Kosta slowly turned to face him, and was suddenly confronted with a bright, unearthly light; already it was dominating the clearing, growing in intensity with each passing second like the dawn spilling over the horizon, filling the captives with an inexplicable warmth that drove out the chill of the forest night.

'What the...?'

'Can you see them? Kosta... they're _beautiful!_ '

The young man followed his comrade's gaze, eyes widening as the brightness resolved into shapes, their wings spreading as they stepped from the light, their graceful arms outstretched.

'My God...' Kosta gasped. 'Are they-'

Emil was weeping. 'Angels! They're angels, my friend - come to save us, like the British at Mons!' The older man struggled to his feet. 'We... we must go to them...!' 

All around the clearing, the captives stood, enraptured, then slowly began to shuffle towards the heavenly sight before them as the singing swelled. Kosta began to follow but suddenly stumbled, tumbling to the floor as his boots caught in the undergrowth.

'Wait! Emil - wait for me!' 

Kosta looked up as the music reached a crescendo, to see his friends walk joyously into the arms of the waiting seraphim.

In an instant the music ceased. Then the screaming began.

Kosta's eyes widened in horror. 'No! NO! What are you doing? For the love of God - NOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

***************************************************************************************************

'So is the Danube really blue?'

Tegan Jovanka stood by the console, watching the Doctor fiddle with the controls, a frown marring his youthful face. He thumped a panel in frustration, then looked up, realising that he had just been asked a question.

'Hmm? Oh - no, not really. Well, it's a blue as any other river I suppose, but I think you're getting mixed up with the waltz.'

The young Australian woman nodded. 'Oh. Right. Sorry - I guess I should know these things, being half Yugoslavian and all.' 

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. ''Half Yugoslavian?''

'On my dad's side. His parents were Yugoslavian - well, Serbian really, I suppose. They emigrated to Australia after the war. My Grandpa Mjovic was forever telling us stories about 'the old country'; I've always wanted to see it.'

'Well, that explains the surname. I've been meaning to ask.' The Doctor returned his attention to the console.

'I thought we were going to Serbia-Montenegro?' Nyssa walked into the console room, and looked at the data terminal with interest. 

Tegan looked confused. 'Serbia-what?'

'Ah, yes,' said the Doctor, 'I keep forgetting you're from the 1980s. It's... well, it's complicated, but all resolved before-' He paused, and threw a lever with a flourish. The TARDIS's central column came to a halt, and he peered at the display. 'April, 2017! But whatever the country's name is, the Danube still runs through it, as you will see just outside those doors!'

The trio exited the time-ship, but were immediately disappointed to find themselves on a drab, dimly lit train station. Devoid of life, the only movement was from the wind swirling discarded papers around the platform.

'Oh, yeah!', said Tegan, her voice dripping with sarcasm, 'Beautiful, Doc! Shall we hop on a cruise boat, or take a scenic walk along the riverbank?!' The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets in exasperation.

'I think the time sensors may need recalibrating again,' said Nyssa, who had wandered off down the platform. She held a sheet of newspaper aloft, having rescued it from the breeze. 'We seem to be a hundred years out.'

'2117? Well, that's not too bad, I suppose, better now than around three decades hence...'

'No, Doctor," Nyssa called, 'A hundred years too _early_. It's April 1917.'

The Doctor's expression paled.

'1917?' Tegan looked at him in horror. 'But that's slap bang in the middle of-'

'Yes, time to go!' The Doctor turned and hurried towards the TARDIS, quickly followed by Tegan, with Nyssa some way down the platform, bringing up the rear.

The Doctor's key was millimetres from the lock, when a familiar wheezing/groaning noise began.

'No... _NO!_ ' The Doctor pushed the key forward, but all it encountered was thin air, as the TARDIS dematerialised before their eyes. 'It must be the HADS,' said the Doctor breathlessly, 'but I can't see why-'

'RUN!'

The travellers turned to see a scrawny, bearded man sprinting at full pelt down the platform towards them, a look of panic on his face.

' _RUN_ , YOU FOOLS! IT'S GOING TO-'

Whatever he was going to say was lost in a torrent of light and sound, as the station promptly exploded.

***************************************************************************************************

'Don't try to move too quickly. You've been in the wars.'

The words sounded muffled to Tegan, the familiar voice distant beyond the ringing in her ears. She groaned as she opened her eyes and struggled to rise, before she felt a strong arm around her shoulders, helping her upright.

'Easy, Tegan.'

'Doctor?'

'You're alright. Just a bit shaken up, I think, plus a few bumps and bruises.'

Tegan looked around her, frowning as she ran her fingers through her short hair. 'Where are we?'

'Serbia - remember? This is Josif and Sofia's home.'

Tegan looked across the cramped room to see a nervous-looking young couple. They were simply dressed in peasants' garb, and looked back at their impromptu guests with concern. 

'Kosta brought us here after the explosion. They've kindly agreed to look after us, just until we recover.'

'Kosta? Who's-' Tegan looked round to see a scrawny, bearded man sat at a table across the room. He looked strangely familiar. 'You!' she gasped in realisation - 'At the station!' The man looked remorseful, but stayed silent.

'Now, Tegan, he tried to warn us!'

'Tried to kill us, more like! And where's Nyssa? Is she okay?'

The Doctor nodded towards a small bed across the room, where Nyssa lay, silent and still. 'She's still unconscious. Took a nasty knock to the head, but I think she'll be alright.'

Tegan sat back, relieved. 'So what do we do now?'

The Doctor took a deep breath and outlined the situation. He had ascertained from their hosts that they were in southern Serbia; the whereabouts of the TARDIS was still unknown, but the Doctor was confident it was somewhere nearby, or they wouldn't be able to understand a word each other was saying. Now that Tegan was awake, he was going to go with Kosta to the nearby town to get medical supplies. 'You stay here with Nyssa. I'll be back as soon as I can.' 

Tegan nodded, then watched the two men leave. She looked around the tiny, ramshackle cottage, which was sparsely furnished with roughly cut wooden furniture; the floor was bare, and ragged curtains hung from the windows. The only warmth came from a small fireplace, which belched smoke up a rough stone chimney breast. Tegan turned to her hosts. 

'So this is Serbia, huh?' They nodded, silently and in unison. 'Well, I can see why they emigrated,' she muttered, under her breath.

***************************************************************************************************

It was a short walk to the nearest town, through untended fields bounded by dark woodlands spreading into the distance under a brooding sky. Kosta was a man of few words, but the Doctor ascertained that he was part of the Serbian militia, a guerrilla force fighting to push their Bulgarian occupiers back.

'Hence the attack on the station,' the Doctor said.

'Yes. I'm sorry. It was supposed to be empty.'

'Well, no real harm done, just a few scrapes and bruises, thankfully.' The Doctor rubbed a bump on his head as they reached the outskirts of the town, which appeared as tired and run-down as everywhere else they had seen. As they headed for the central square, the Time Lord looked around in interest, for all the world like a tourist on holiday. 'What's this place called, again?'

'Surdulica.'

They approached a corner, and the Doctor frowned. 'Surdulica. That rings a bell, somehow, but I can't remember wh-'

The Doctor stopped abruptly as he rounded the corner and came face to face with a party of soldiers, their rifles raised and pointed straight at him. He sighed and raised his hands, motioning for Kosta to do the same.

But Kosta was nowhere to be seen.

***************************************************************************************************

Nyssa groaned and shifted on her mattress. Tegan gingerly got up and moved to her side.

'Nyssa? Can you hear me? Are you alright?' Tegan asked, taking her hand. The Trakenite girl slowly opened her eyes.

'Tegan? Where are we? What happened?'

Tegan quickly brought Nyssa up to speed, whilst Josif fetched water for them both. 'So the Doc's gone to get some supplies. How's your head? You took a nasty knock, apparently.' 

'Throbbing.' Tegan helped Nyssa to sit up, and gave her some water to sip. 

'Why is it so dark in here?' asked Nyssa, after a moment. 'Could we turn a light on, please?' 

Tegan looked around the room, confused. Although it was still dark outside there were several oil lamps and candles lit, and the fire burning in the grate. 'Ah, Nyssa? The lights _are_ on.'

'Then we have a problem.' Nyssa blinked several times, frowning, then raised her hand experimentally in front of her face.

'Tegan... I can't see.'

***************************************************************************************************

'You are under arrest!' The Bulgarian officer motioned to one of his men, who took the Doctor's arms and bound them at the wrist. The Doctor capitulated, with a disarming smile.

'Of course I am. May I ask what for?'

'No.'

'Wonderful,' said the Doctor resignedly. 'Lead on then.'

The soldiers marched him to the central square, where he joined a number of other captives, similarly bound and muttering together darkly. An officer stood high on the edge of a fountain, and shouted for silence.

'As a result of the terrorist attack on the railway station earlier today, all Serbian men aged from 18 to 50 are hereby placed under arrest. The Bulgarian government can no longer countenance killers, thieves and butchers to walk free in our lands, and so you will be taken from here to Sofia, where you will be interred with what is left of your pitiful Serbian army. May God have mercy on your souls.' He motioned to his men: 'Komitadji - take them away!'

The surrounding soldiers moved in, and the Doctor was herded along with the local men, his protestations (that he was neither Serbian nor a killer, thief or butcher) drowned out by the raised voices of his fellow captives. 

'Oh dear,' he muttered to himself as the chimes of the nearby church began to peal, masking the clamour around him, 'This is all starting to ring a rather dreadful bell...'

***************************************************************************************************

'Don't panic, Nyssa,' said Tegan, her anxious tone in complete contradiction to her soothing words. 'I'm sure it's just a side effect of the concussion. The Doctor will be back soon - he'll know what to do.'

'Yes,' Nyssa replied shakily, regaining her composure, 'Yes, I'm sure you're right. It's probably the explosion - the intense light causing a shock to the optic nerve. I... I'll be fine.'

Sofia approached, a tin mug in her hands. 'Here,' she said gently, offering the mug to Tegan, 'It's a tea brewed from willow bark. It will help with the pain and any swelling.'

Tegan carefully passed the drink to Nyssa, who sipped it tentatively. 'Thanks, Sofia. Hey, are you a nurse?'

The young woman shook her head modestly. 'No. But I have helped to tend the wounded, when they have returned home from the Front. My husband is a woodsman, so we have a plentiful supply of the bark. He knows everything there is to know about the forest,' she said proudly. Josif blushed, and took her hand. Tegan smiled at them. 

'I'm guessing you two haven't been married long?' 

'Almost a year,' said Josif, proudly. 'We're young, I know, but we thought it foolish to wait. In times such as these, who knows what tomorrow will br-'

The door to the cottage suddenly flew open as a man burst in, quickly barring the door behind him.

'Kosta!' Josif cried.

The militiaman was drenched in sweat, and gasping for breath. 'You've got to get out, Josif,' he gasped raggedly, 'They're coming - coming for all of us!'

'What?' Josif grabbed the man by the shoulders, but he squirmed away.

'The Komitadji! They're taking all the Serbian men... taking them to Sofia - you know what that means, Josif!' He turned to Tegan and Nyssa: 'And they've got your friend!' 

Before anyone could react, there was a loud banging at the door. Kosta moved to the window on the other side of the room; 'Come on, Josif! There's no time!'

Josif looked around at the women, then put a protective arm around his wife. 'I'm staying.' The hammering started up again, the door nearly leaping off its hinges. Kosta took one last look, then disappeared through the window into the night. He was barely through when the door burst open, and a number of armed soldiers barged in.

'Josif Jovanka?' an officer barked. Josif nodded, silently, and the officer signalled to his men. 'Take him!'

'Josif! NO!' Sofia screamed as they marched her husband out of the cottage. He struggled to take one last look over his shoulder.

'I love you, Sofia! I'll come back to you, I promise!' With that, he was gone into the darkness. Sofia fell to her knees, sobbing.

Tegan remained seated, a shocked look on her face. 'Jovanka?' she muttered quietly to herself - 'Josif _Jovanka?_ ' 

***************************************************************************************************

'Get along, there!'

The Doctor staggered forwards, wincing as he felt the rifle butt between his shoulder blades for the umpteenth time. 'So sorry!' he called over his shoulder, 'But it is rather difficult negotiating rough terrain when your hands are tied!' He looked at his surroundings in the gloom - once out of the town they had quickly headed towards the nearby forest, and were now deep within its bounds, the thick trunks and impenetrable canopy deepening the oppressive darkness all around them, the scant light from the soldiers' torches throwing wicked shadows in every direction. 'Do you mind telling me where we're going?'

'Sofia,' the nearest soldier grunted, his companion stifling a derisive laugh.

'Well, yes, that's what you said before, but as I remember Sofia is due east of Surdulica, and we appear to be walking south. Oof!' The Doctor staggered under the weight of another blow to the back, and dropped to his knees.

'Don't worry. You'll get where you're going soon enough.'

***************************************************************************************************

'Jovanka. You're telling me your surname is Jovanka?'

Sofia nodded, looking at the remains of the door with tear-filled eyes. 'Jovanka,' she repeated, pronouncing it with the Slavic 'Y'.

'Josif Jovanka!' Tegan gasped to herself. 'But what does it matter now? He's gone!'

'Tegan?' asked Nyssa, getting unsteadily to her feet, 'What's wrong?'

Tegan was muttering under her breath: 'They left with nothing from home... not even a photograph..!' She grabbed Nyssa by the arms - 'I didn't recognise him, Nyssa! My own great-grandad! And now he's gone!' Tegan stood decisively. 'We've got to help him!'

'Your great-grandfather?' Nyssa whispered, 'Then Sofia is...?'

'Great-Grandma Sophie...' Tegan looked in astonishment at the woman gently weeping nearby, oblivious to their discussion. 'She died when I was a little girl. I've never seen her so young...'

'Tegan,' Nyssa reached blindly for her shoulder, her voice grave. 'You know you can't interfere with your own timeline. The Doctor-'

I know what you're going to say, Nyssa, but the Doctor's not here, is he?'

'Tegan-'

Tegan threw off Nyssa's arm in irritation. 'No, Nyssa. You can lecture me all you like - I'm not budging on this one. If that man dies, I'll never exist!' Nyssa tried to explain it didn't quite work like that, but Tegan was adamant.

'What if the only reason I was born was because I go back and save him now, in the past? I can't just sit here and do nothing!' Nyssa drew breath to respond, but Tegan cut her off before she could speak.

'What if this was a member of _your_ family, Nyssa - would you intervene then? What if it was your father? Wouldn't you do _anything_ to save him?'

Nyssa slumped back on to the bed, defeated. 'Alright, Tegan. But what exactly are we going to do?'

***************************************************************************************************

The Doctor was still on his knees when the order was given for the party to halt, the forest momentarily returning to an unnatural silence. The Time Lord frowned, tilting his head.

'Nothing...' he muttered to himself; 'No bird calls, not even the buzz of an insect. How very peculiar.' After a moment he frowned, turning his head as he detected an incongruous sound, faint but slowly building. It was soon accompanied by a wavering light, painting the edges of the dark tree trunks nearby with a soft glow.

A sudden shout rang out, and after a moment the enigma was resolved by the sudden appearance of another armed party breaking through the foliage, their flickering torches revealing another small party of captives. Their leader saluted.

'We've rounded up the stragglers from the outskirts of the town, sir. Everyone is accounted for.'

'Excellent.' The Bulgarian officer motioned for the newcomers to join their fellow prisoners. 'The less visits we have to make to this godforsaken place, the better.'

As the new arrivals took their place the Doctor struggled to his feet, bumping into the man next to him as he did so. He turned to apologise, and found himself looking into a familiar face.

'Josif?'

'Doctor!'

***************************************************************************************************

'So where are they taking them?'

Tegan had managed to calm Sofia somewhat, and she sat on the bed next to Nyssa, dabbing at her tear-stained face.

'Sofia,' she sniffed, 'The Bulgarian capital. But no-one ever comes back from Sofia!'

'What do you mean?' asked Nyssa, gently.

'They've done it before. They say that's where the men are going, then they march them off into the forest, and they never come back!' Sofia wailed.

'Well this time they will,' said Tegan defiantly, or my name's not Tegan Jo-' She stopped herself, wary of Nyssa's warning. 'Tegan Jones! Now, Sofia, I'll need you to gather the village women. Do we know which route they'll have taken?'

'I'll show you.' 

The women turned at the sound of a male voice from the window.

'Kosta!'

***************************************************************************************************

'Josif!' cried the Doctor excitedly. 'What are you doing here? Is everyone alright?'

The young Serbian quickly tried to explain what had happened since the Doctor had left the cottage, but before they could talk any further the Bulgarian officer barked an order, and they looked around to see their captors all wrapping scarves and bandages around their heads, covering their ears. The officer then silently raised his torch, and the party moved off once more.

The Doctor looked at Josif warily. 'I don't like this, Josif, not one little bit.' 

***************************************************************************************************

'Well Tegan, the Doctor wasn't lying when he said you'd make a fine co-ordinator. I'm just sorry I couldn't have been more help.' Nyssa was impressed at the speed Tegan had worked, her organisational abilities clearly coming to the fore. In a short space of time she and Sofia had roused the local women into action, and even organised some primitive transport in the form of a number of horses and carts, which, under Kosta's direction, had taken them to the edge of the forest. There the carts had been abandoned, and the women had continued through the rough terrain on horseback or foot. Nyssa now sat astride the barrel-like back of a docile carthorse as the party made its way through the forest, following the boot prints left by the soldiers and their prisoners.

'Don't worry Nyssa, it can't be helped. How's your sight now?'

'Still the same,' Nyssa said glumly.

'Well you're not missing much to be honest, it's pitch back in these woods. Good job we brought the lanterns.'

'And so quiet too,' Nyssa muttered, reluctant to raise her voice in the silence. 'No ambient wildlife noises whatsoever. Is that usual in an Earth forest?'

Tegan looked around warily. 'No. I noticed that too. It's spooky - as if the forest was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen...'

They walked in silence for a while, until Kosta brought them to a halt at the top of a low incline.

'There's a clearing up ahead. That's where they'll take them.'

'How do you know?' Tegan had been suspicious of the militiaman's motives since he had returned, but having no other leads, had had little choice but to accept his help. She was keeping her eye on him though, just in case.

Kosta turned and looked at her, a strange expression on his face. 'I've been here before. A month ago, my squad was captured by the Komitadji, and we were brought here, bound and ready for slaughter. I... I barely escaped with my life.'

'You seem to be quite good at that,' Tegan replied, in an accusing tone. 'Saving your own skin, I mean.'

Kosta looked at her, his eyes haunted. 'You think me a coward, I know. But I saw things that day... unspeakable, evil things that made my time at the Front seem like child's play... and so I ran. I ran, and I run still, because I won't ever be taken back there.' He took a step back and looked at Sofia, his skin pallid and sweaty. 'Sofia, I'm sorry... but I can't go any further.'

'Kosta, no!' she pleaded, but to no avail. 

'I'm sorry, Sofia! Tell Josif... I'm sorry!' With that, Kosta abruptly turned and fled into the night.

'Come back here, you mongrel!' Tegan hissed; she started after him, but within seconds he was gone, swallowed by the darkness. She turned back to see Sofia and the village women, all looking at her expectantly.

'Right, ladies!' Tegan took a deep breath, her hands on her hips. 'Looks like we're on our own. But as my Auntie Vanessa used to say: 'If you want something doing right, don't ask a man!' Now they may have guns, but we've got the element of surprise. So grab whatever you can - branches, rocks, anything good and heavy - and let's g-'

'Tegan, wait!'

Nyssa was attempting to get down from her horse; Tegan ran to her aid. 

'Nyssa? What is it?'

Once on the ground Nyssa started forwards, her arms outstretched, eyes wandering blindly.

'Can't you hear it?' she breathed, stumbling down the low slope in front of them.

'Hear what?'

Nyssa stopped for a moment, turning her head. 'It's this way - come on!'

***************************************************************************************************

The Doctor and Josif fell to their knees, along with the rest of the captives. They had reached a large clearing, lifeless and empty apart from the moonlight streaming through the break in the canopy above. Mist hung in the air, with not even the faintest of breezes to disturb it. The Doctor turned to Josif.

'We seem to have reached our destination.'

Josif looked around, warily. The atmosphere was stagnant; the dark, towering trees oppressive. Through the mist he could see strange, twisted shapes, almost as if the trees had tried to extract their roots from the fetid earth below. 'This is not Sofia,' he said.

The Doctor nodded grimly, looking around at their captors once more. The Bulgarians were nervously looking about them, their weapons shaking in their hands as sweat poured from underneath the haphazard bindings covering their ears. 'No, and I have a very nasty feeling I know what's going to happen.' He started to scrabble about on the floor, his bound hands searching for something. 'There! Now Josif, I know this will seem strange, but please, trust me. Here, take this -' He handed the Serbian some moss he'd scraped from a nearby rock, '- and stuff it into your ears, as hard as you can!' The Doctor demonstrated with his own bundle of moss. Josif watched him in bewilderment, but followed suit.

The Bulgarian officer raised three fingers aloft.

_'Tre!'_

The Doctor closed his eyes. 'I do hope I'm right,' he muttered to himself, 'I've only just got used to this body...'

_'Dve!'_

All of a sudden the hairs started to stand up on the back of the Time Lord's neck; his eyes snapped open. 'Wait a minute...'

***************************************************************************************************

'Nyssa, please!' gasped Tegan breathlessly, 'You can't go running round a dark forest in your condition!'

'We're so close! I can feel it!' Nyssa exclaimed, stumbling over a tree root. 'Just a little further!'

'But there's nothing there! Come on Nyssa, we can't waste time on-' Tegan stopped mid-sentence, as a faint, otherworldly noise began to build, rending the air in front of them as something tried to force its way into existence...

***************************************************************************************************

_'Edno!'_

The Serbian men held their collective breath, impotent to avert their impending doom. But the sharp crack of gunfire never came, replaced instead by the sound of their executioners abruptly turning and fleeing from the clearing with the speed of startled prey. 

The Doctor turned to Josif, who was mouthing something, a look of relief on his face. 'Stay alert!' he mouthed back, 'It's not over yet!' Josif frowned in confusion; the rest of the Serbians were on their feet, clasping each other in jubilation, or raising their bound hands heavenwards.

The Serbians' joyful celebrations meant the sound was almost imperceptible at first. It built slowly, creeping up in volume and sneaking into their perception, resolving into an ethereal, high-pitched song that wound itself around their consciousness, caressing their very souls. The Doctor and Josif looked on in confusion, oblivious to the tantalising sound, when their attention was drawn by an entirely different stimulus.

At the centre of the clearing, a light began to form in the mist, warm and welcoming, chasing away the dark shadows of the forest, gradually building in intensity until the clearing was filled with its radiance.

***************************************************************************************************

'The TARDIS!' Tegan cried, as the blue box began to miraculously materialise in front of them. 'Well that's a sight for sore eyes!' She looked at her blind companion. 'Erm, I mean-'

'Let's just get inside,' said Nyssa, one hand on the door. 'Then we can-' She paused, mid-sentence, turning her head. 'Tegan, do you hear... _singing?_ '

Tegan turned in shock as a bright light began to stream through the trees, accompanied by what seemed to be a swelling, unearthly chorus. The village women had seen it too, and were already moving towards its source, seemingly entranced by the mystifying display.

***************************************************************************************************

Josif grabbed the Doctor's shoulder. 'What are they?' he shouted, pointing to the centre of the clearing where luminous, humanoid shapes had begun to coalesce. The Doctor shook his head, unsure; he looked around the clearing at their fellow captives, who seemed strangely enthralled by the sight.

***************************************************************************************************

'Stop! Where are you all going?' In the trees beyond the clearing, Tegan shouted to the women, then shook her head. She couldn't seem to gather her thoughts, the sound of the music wrapping itself round her brain. She found herself moving forward involuntarily, out of the darkness, towards the light and warmth ahead...

***************************************************************************************************

The shapes in the clearing were forming now, manifesting themselves into radiant, winged women dressed in heavenly robes, their arms outstretched, waiting to welcome the Serbian captives home.

'Angels!' Josif shouted, raising his hands to the heavens. ' _Moj Boze_ , we are saved!' He started forward, but felt an arm holding him back.

'No!' shouted the Doctor, 'No - this is wrong! Stop, everyone, _please!_ ' He looked around the clearing to see all but Josif and himself were moving towards the shining beings, before gasping in realisation. 'Cover your ears!' he shouted to the others - 'It's the sound - it's taking over your minds! Please - listen to me!'

***************************************************************************************************

'Tegan? What's happening? Tegan!' Nyssa cried.

'Got to go... must... I've got to go to them!' Tegan shuffled forward, following the village women down towards the clearing.

'Tegan, no! What's wrong with you? Tegan please, I... I can't find you!' Nyssa stumbled forward, falling to her knees. Then suddenly, over the noise, she heard a familiar voice...

_'Cover your ears! It's the sound - it's taking over your minds! Please - listen to me!'_

'Doctor?' Nyssa gasped, then the ramifications of his words hit her like a sledgehammer. She got to her feet, and quickly fumbled her way back to the TARDIS. 

***************************************************************************************************

Josif wrenched himself free of the Doctor's grasp. 'So beautiful,' he breathed.

'Josif, NO!' The Doctor dived for him, but couldn't prevent the Serbian from reaching up and removing the mossy plugs from his ears. Josif immediately lurched forward, following his countrymen towards the light.

The first captive reached out to touch the outstretched hand of an angel as the music reached a crescendo... and then everything went to hell.

The Doctor and Josif stared on in horror as the spell shattered, the beings' angelic visages melting away. Gentle hands became grasping claws; soft feathers turned into hideous, leathery wings. Seraphic smiles morphed into grotesque grins, their pointed teeth dripping with gore. Then the screaming began.

Josif and the Doctor ran towards the unfolding scene of horror, but found their way impeded by the tree roots rising from the mist - no, not roots, they realised - but bones, twisted and gnawed into tortuous shapes.

'NO!' shouted the Doctor desperately, 'No, please! Stop!'

But there was no stopping the knotted, gnarled hands as they grasped at the screaming men, pulling, ripping and rending, until...

All of a sudden, the forest was filled with an entirely different sound: a deep, pulsating throb that seemed to penetrate matter on a cellular level. The Doctor turned to look at the creatures - they had frozen, their dark limbs suspended like flies caught in amber.

'That sound,' he gasped breathlessly, 'It's paralysed them!'

'More than that,' Josif replied, 'Look!' As he spoke, the demonic beings began to dissipate, melting away into the inky darkness, leaving behind anguished howls hanging in the air like the lingering mist.

The men dropped to their knees, sobbing in relief. Relief which soon turned to joy, when through the mist came the village women, their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, looking around them in confusion until they saw their loved ones and ran to them, rejoicing.

'Tegan! Nyssa!' the Doctor shouted over the noise, seeing his companions emerge from the trees, 'I take it you're responsible for our rescue?'

'You've got Nyssa to thank for that,' shouted Tegan, leading her forward. 'She rigged up the sonic booster from the TARDIS - the one she used to destroy the Terileptils' android!'

'I heard you shouting, Doctor, and realised there was some sort of sensory influence at play,' Nyssa continued, 'but my blindness meant I wasn't affected!'

'Blindness?' The Doctor was immediately concerned but Nyssa quickly reassured him she'd be fine.

'It's starting to improve,' she said, 'The console room was a big light blur, instead of a dark one!'

'Right, well, you'd better get back there. This isn't over yet.'

Josif joined them, an arm around an overjoyed Sofia. 'What do you mean, Doctor? The demons are gone, surely?'

'Only whilst the booster is active, I'm afraid,' the Doctor replied, 'and it was damaged enough last time - it's not going to last forever... so we need to be ready.'

***************************************************************************************************

'This is a terrible idea.'

Only a few minutes later, Nyssa, Sofia and the Serbian villagers were safely inside the TARDIS, whilst Josif was lashing the Doctor to a tree at the edge of the clearing. Tegan looked on, shaking her head.

'Tell me again how this is going to work?' she shouted over the deep hum of the booster.

'It's an old trick I learned from the King of Ithaca - Odysseus, I think his name was. Our angelic friends over there are 'Keres' - battlefield ghouls, living off the flesh of the slain back in ancient Greece. Only they appear to be somewhat lost, and more than that, they seem to have picked up some traits from their cousins, the Sirens.'

'The women that sang to sailors?' Tegan asked.

'Yes, and lured them to their deaths.'

'Nice.' Tegan frowned. 'But this is all mythology, Doc - are you telling me these things were real?'

'They've been dormant for a long time, Tegan, but the scale of death and brutality in this terrible war must have reinvigorated them. They're a symptom of the horrendous depths that humanity has descended to - that's tight enough, thank you Josif!' 

'So you're going to - what? Just listen to them?' Asked Tegan, clearly unconvinced by the Doctor's plan.

'Yes, Tegan. The Keres appear to be fixed to this point, somehow, hence the need to lure their prey. The Bulgarians obviously stumbled across them at some point, and must have decided to use them to their own contemptible ends.'

'And Odysseus...?'

'Ah, well, my old friend Odysseus decided that he wanted to hear the Sirens' singing, so he got his crew to plug their ears and tie him to the mast of his ship. The Sirens were so aggrieved that someone had heard their song and escaped that they flung themselves into the sea and drowned. Now,' he grunted, testing his bonds a final time, 'that's enough ancient history. You and Josif get yourselves to the TARDIS before-'

***************************************************************************************************

In the TARDIS, Nyssa and Sofia screamed as part of the console exploded into a shower of sparks. 

***************************************************************************************************

'-the booster cuts out.'

As he spoke, the clearing abruptly returned once more to its unnatural silence.

'RUN!' The Doctor shouted, but it was too late. 

The music resumed, softly at first... a lone, angelic voice born of the darkness, echoing around the clearing until joined by another, then another, until a heavenly chorus swelled and soared, birthing light from the gloom that grew and intensified, warming the upturned faces of clearing's occupants.

The Doctor turned away, groaning with the effort. 'Tegan! Close your eyes! It's your only chance!'

'I... I can't!' she cried. 

'You MUST!'

***************************************************************************************************

Nyssa found the scanner control and activated it. 

'Sofia - what do you see? Sofia...?'

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In the clearing, the Keres were beginning to reform, light coalescing into graceful arms and downy wings. Calling on every ounce of willpower at her disposal, Tegan managed to slowly raised her hands to her face, covering her eyes. The relief was immediate.

'Doctor!' she cried, 'What about Josif? Can you see him?'

The Doctor moaned, straining against the urge to look. 'Tegan... I - I can't-'

'Doctor, please! We have to help him! If he dies, I'll never be born! Please, Doctor... he's my _great-grandfather!_ ' 

The Doctor's eyes snapped open.

Josif was already halfway across the clearing, walking in a dreamlike trance through the dismembered remains of the Keres' victims, a beatific smile on his face. Groaning, the Doctor realised it was already too late... and now every fibre of the Time Lord's body ached to join him. He struggled against his bonds, pleading for Tegan to release him, as Josif moved closer and closer to the Keres' outstretched hands...

'Josif.'

Josif paused, his fingers inches away from oblivion, the quiet voice breaking through the blissful fog enslaving his mind.

'Josif.'

He blinked, turning his head to see Sofia stood nearby, arms outstretched, her eyes only for him.

'Josif... come to Sofia.'

The Doctor and Tegan watched as Josif flew to his wife, his own personal angel. As he took Sofia in his arms, the Keres' song turned to howls of anguish, building and swirling until the clearing span in a maelstrom of fury. Josif and Sofia were flung to the floor, as Tegan grabbed on to the Doctor, still bound to his tree. They clung together, the wind whipping their hair and clothes as the vortex span higher and higher, the agonising screams reaching a piercing zenith until...

Silence.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop, as if time itself held its breath. Then the stillness was broken by the solitary hoot of an owl, and the forest suddenly came alive with the long-forgotten sound of wildlife.

Tegan tentatively opened one eye. 'Are they gone?'

'Yes, Tegan.' The Doctor nodded towards the centre of the clearing, where Josif and Sofia stood locked in an embrace. 'Destroyed by rejection, as I predicted, although it appears I should have looked to Virgil rather than Homer for inspiration.' Tegan looked at him questioningly.

' _Omnia vincit amor,_ ' said the Doctor with a smile... 'Love conquers all.'

***************************************************************************************************

The sun rose over Surdulica as the villagers bade a grateful farewell to the Doctor and his companions. Tegan dabbed tears away as she hugged Josif and Sofia one last time.

'Are you sure we can't tempt you to come with us?' she asked, 'We can take you anywhere, you know... somewhere safe, far away from the war?'

'Thank you, Tegan,' Josif replied, 'but you and your friends have done enough for us. This is our home, and we must stand against those who say otherwise.' He put his arm around Sofia, pulling her close. 'Some things are worth fighting for.'

Sofia reached out, taking Tegan's hand and smiling warmly. 'We'll never forget you, Tegan Jones.'

Tegan returned the smile, and almost felt for a moment like she could hear the sound of history clicking back into place, the myriad moments of chance and coincidence aligning to once more to assure her place in the world. 'Well, you never know, maybe we'll meet again someday.' She turned to go, then hesitated at the last moment, unable to stop herself: 'And if you ever change your mind, I hear Australia's nice...!'

***************************************************************************************************

The Doctor and Nyssa stood by the TARDIS door, looking out across the Serbian countryside, Nyssa's vision thankfully almost back to normal.

'Will they be safe here?' Nyssa asked.

'I think so,' the Doctor replied. 'Surdulica has suffered more than its share of death for one war.'

Nyssa sighed. 'I don't think I'll ever understand humans. Such an awful waste of life.'

'And it's not over yet.'

'Can't you do anything to stop it?' she asked.

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets. 'Oh, I pop up, here and there. I do what I can, Nyssa, but I can't save everyone. Man's inhumanity towards man is an unrelenting force, as millions have already found, to their cost. A whole generation lost; their remembrance not enough to prevent the same dreadful mistake a generation later.'

He shook his head. 'One day, Nyssa... one day they'll be able to see past the lines on the map, and look to the stars, united. One day...'

'And it can't come soon enough.'


End file.
